How do you keep up the motivation

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vgpeterson1984
vgpeterson1984 Posts: 51 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know everyone is different. Last year I lost 30lbs by logging, biking and yoga. Went on a cruise, vacation, family member past away and poof 17 lbs back on.

This is my third day back on logging and I got on my elliptical again today.

How do you all keep up the motivation and momentum??

Replies

  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    You need a workout that you love. I am exercising with my trainer for 4 years, I met him when he worked for a gym and when he went on his own, a bunch of us went with him.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    Honestly? I just want it bad enough. I spent too damn long as a dangerously obese fat-sad-sack.

    ETA: with no one to blame but myself for it. So, put on my big boy pants and said I was finished with being that dangerously obese fat-sad-sack and decided that I was never gonna be that guy again.

    ...and I'm not... and it isn't due to any motivation other than making the decision to make it end.
  • splashtree1
    splashtree1 Posts: 27
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    It depends from the period,if you'te not able to do it and you have to wait to back ....i' did it missing akmost 5months of training now i workout even at night as i use to and i love it,
    tell you the truth tonight no beer..yes gotta give up...
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    I always focused more on my health, nutrition, and fitness....losing weight and getting to a healthy weight never was the objective to begin with...just a nice bi-product of good livin'

    I would advise actually training for something rather than just droning away on an elliptical. Your only goal there is calorie burn...that equals boring and monotonous...I'd rather stick a fork in my eye. Train for something and/or set independent fitness goals that have nothing to do with "did I burn XXX calories." Perform exercises to help you achieve those goals...much less boring.

    A fitness body is derived through a fitness and nutrition oriented lifestyle...not deprivation and droning away endless hours on cardio machines.
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,503 Member
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    Motivation? What motivation? It's Friday, so I go to the gym and lift. If it were Thursday, I'd go to the gym and do HIIT. What is this motivation of which you speak? :flowerforyou:
  • bspikes86
    bspikes86 Posts: 61 Member
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    My motivation is the walls of mirrors in zumba class. All I gotta do is look up and remember why I am there.
  • TravelDog14
    TravelDog14 Posts: 317 Member
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    Honestly? I just want it bad enough. I spent too damn long as a dangerously obese fat-sad-sack.

    ETA: with no one to blame but myself for it. So, put on my big boy pants and said I was finished with being that dangerously obese fat-sad-sack and decided that I was never gonna be that guy again.

    ...and I'm not... and it isn't due to any motivation other than making the decision to make it end.

    I would say this is a huge part of it for me. Combine it with not allowing the external stuff that happens in my daily life (work stress, family, etc.) to be an excuse for me to not eat well and move more.

    And since I've reached my goal and been here for a few months I've found that I like the new thinner me way better than the overweight me, and I want the new me to stick around for a long time.
  • annakow
    annakow Posts: 385 Member
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    I have two belts, both great M&S, expensive, leather, I need to fit them:)
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    For me, mental health is the biggest motivator for exercise. I'm just happier overall if I work out regularly.

    When it comes to food, it's just discipline. But it isn't too hard, because the calories burned from exercise make it so I don't feel like I'm depriving myself.
  • Ejourneys
    Ejourneys Posts: 1,603 Member
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    I find ways to make it easy on myself:

    1. Instead of going directly from chocolate to fresh fruits (which are my go-to snack), I used dried fruits like raisins as a bridge food. Raisins are sweeter and more calorie-dense than fresh fruit (e.g., bananas, grapes, oranges), but don't have the fat that chocolate does. These days the fresh fruits satisfy me when I want something sweet. I've used other substitutions as well in such a way that I do not feel deprived in the least.

    2. I exercise at home and have my equipment in my home office, plus I love using my mini-bike and stepper. I have everything I want and need at my fingertips: music, towel, water, etc. Everything is convenient.

    3. When I have to be on the road, I pack a cooler with "my food." I'm a caregiver, so "on the road" means medical appointments that can be 75 miles away. This way, my caree can eat what she likes and I can eat what I like.

    4. Every day is a new day. This is not a race. I'll get there when I get there. My answer to plateaus is to just keep doing the right things. Bottom line: I'm a heckuva lot healthier and have more energy and better outlook than when I started, period, and I need that stamina for caregiving.

    5. I've been working on finding better stress responses. I know that maintenance will be my real challenge.
  • bspikes86
    bspikes86 Posts: 61 Member
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    Honestly? I just want it bad enough. I spent too damn long as a dangerously obese fat-sad-sack.

    ETA: with no one to blame but myself for it. So, put on my big boy pants and said I was finished with being that dangerously obese fat-sad-sack and decided that I was never gonna be that guy again.

    ...and I'm not... and it isn't due to any motivation other than making the decision to make it end.

    and this is exactly. well said
  • Katrina_vw91
    Katrina_vw91 Posts: 232 Member
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    I found this on Pinterest and thought it was a cool idea to motivate myself. I am going to start doing this :P

    http://hotmessprincess.com/2012/01/motivation-marbles/
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    Sorry to hear about your loss, take it easy on yourself first up.

    Then ... attack! You can do it, we can all do it, it's mostly in the mind and making healthy choices (consumption and exercise) a habit.

    I take the stairs everywhere, I extend my walk to the train station after work every day as a matter of course. To be honest apart from eating well I don't do anything else.

    Make it a habit, pick something you enjoy, don't starve yourself and it will come.

    I'm pretty much at maintenance now but, with a exception of a bit more slack on the consumption front, my routine isn't going to change much.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
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    The motivation to do *what*, exactly? Keep living? Because this is just how my life is now. I have to do this - there's no other option.

    Honestly, that's how I look at it and it's been really helpful for me. It's never been this tough slog that I have to find the motivation to fight through so I can lose weight. I've decided that this is just how life is going to be. Doing workouts you genuinely like and allowing yourself to eat the things you like helps too.
  • alyhuggan
    alyhuggan Posts: 717 Member
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    If you think it's a chore it's not gonna happen. I don't get up in the morning and think oh no, I've gotta go to the gym and eat only 2500 calories today to lose fat. I get up early buzzing to get to the gym, pump it out until I can barely manage anything and eating 2500 calories is easy to me. If you want to eat more then do more cardio and eat the calories from it. My job has me doing trolleys most days I'm in which is a fair amount of calories burnt plus working out 6 days a week means I can afford to eat quite a lot more. You've gotta do something realistic for you.
  • Nancymcgregor
    Nancymcgregor Posts: 150 Member
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    My motivation is my health. Eating the way I did was making me really sick. I would also like to go in a shop and buy a dress without looking like an elephant in a tent.

    I set myself mini goals to keep me motivated. I'm working on getting into the 160's at the moment and I'm training to run 5k, I also want to buy a nice pair of size 14 jeans.
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    Because this is just how my life is now.
    This
  • bayoncay
    bayoncay Posts: 11
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    having fun doing it. Using the treadmill for an hour everyday was becoming unbearable. I figured, why do I have to lose weight something I hate when i could be losing more doing something I love?

    so I found this girl on youtube, Blogilates, and started doing her cardio videos. She's super funny and spirited. The hour passes by like a second now, and i've lost so much more calories.
  • phyllisgehrke
    phyllisgehrke Posts: 238 Member
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    My Motivation is my Health and looking good in my clothes.

    I was in size 14 slacks and getting ready to go into 16 slacks
    I said no more.
    Tired of looking bad in clothes when I went shopping. I would see a cute top, but looked bad on me.

    I joined MFP and lost 17 pounds. I am now in size 12 slacks and went from large blouse to medium blouse.
    I am now at the weight I should be, Need to lose 2 more pounds for safety.

    My Bmi is now normal, where before it was overweight.
    This has kept my motivation going and all of my friends that have supported me
  • fatsnacker
    fatsnacker Posts: 209 Member
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    knowing that I have been through this cycle of weight gain, weight loss over and over motivates me to break this cycle for good.

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